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MUSICALS

Big, glossy Broadway and West End productions (generally performed in German) are immensely popular in Hamburg, the nation’s ‘musical capital’.

Venues include:

Theater im Hafen Hamburg (Map; 0180-544 44; www.loewenkoenig.de, in German; Norderelbstrasse 6) Across the harbour, the yellow tent resembling a giant bee hosts Der König der Löwen (The Lion King). A ferry shuttles here from Landungsbrücke 1.

Neue Flora ( 0180-544 44; www.stage-entertainment.de, in German; Stresemannstrasse 159a) One of Europe’s largest theatres.

Operettenhaus (Map; 01805-114 113; www.stage-entertainment.de, in German; Spielbudenplatz 1)

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Opera & Classical Music

Staatsoper (Map; 356 868; www.hamburgische-staatsoper.de; Grosse Theaterstrasse 25) Among the world’s most respected opera houses, the Staatsoper has been directed by the likes of Gustav Mahler and Karl Böhm during its 325-year-plus history.

Musikhalle (Map; 346 920; www.laeiszhalle.de, in German; Johannes-Brahms-Platz) The premier address for classical concerts is this splendid neobaroque edifice, home to the State Philharmonic Orchestra, among others. Along with the opera house, it’s now artistically directed by the world’s leading female conductor, Australian Simone Young.

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SHOPPING

Central Hamburg has two main shopping districts. West of the Hauptbahnhof, along Spitalerstrasse and Mönckebergstrasse (known as the ‘Mö’), you’ll find the large department stores and mainstream boutiques. Further west again, more upmarket shops are located within the triangle created by Jungfernstieg, Fuhlentwiete and Neuer Wall. Most of them are in a network of elegant shopping arcades.

For secondhand, retro and up-and-coming fashion and music, Click here.

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GETTING THERE & AWAY

Air

Hamburg Airport (HAM; 507 50; www.flughafen-hamburg.de) has frequent flights to domestic and European cities, including on Lufthansa, British Airways and Air France, and low-cost carriers Air Berlin and Germanwings (Click here for airline details).

The small Hamburg-Uetersen airfield has flights to/from Helgoland.

For flights to and from Lübeck air-port (sometimes called ‘Hamburg-Lübeck’), Click here.

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GAY & LESBIAN HAMBURG

Hamburg has a thriving gay and lesbian scene; look out at venues for the free listings magazine hinnerk (www.hinnerk.de, in German).

Men can find out more at the gay centre Hein & Fiete (Map; 240 333; www.heinfiete.de, in German; Pulverteich 21; 4-9pm Mon-Fri, to 7pm Sat), while women can contact the lesbian centre Intervention (Map; 245 002; www.intervention-hamburg.de, in German; Glashüttenstrasse; hours vary). Both men and women can pick up information from the social cafe at the Magnus Hirschfeld Centrum (MHC; 2787 7800; http://mhc-hamburg.de, in German; Borgweg 8; dishes €2.90-4.20; 5.30-11pm Mon-Thu, 5pm-late Fri, 3-8pm Sun).

With its abstract art and in-house bakery, Café Gnosa (Map; 243 034; Lange Reihe 93; dishes €6.20-13; 10am-1am) is a good starting point for gay and lesbian visitors to Hamburg.

Also recommended:

136 Degrees (Map; Reeperbahn 136; Fri & Sat from midnight) Party-hard disco.

Generation Bar (Map; 2880 4690; Lange Reihe 81; from 6pm) Popular gay bar.

Kyti Voo (Map; 2805 5565; Lange Reihe 8; from 10am) This bar attracts a mixed crowd.

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Bus

The ZOB (Busbahnhof; Central Bus Station; Map; 247 576; www.zob-hamburg.de, in German; Adenauerallee 78; ticket counters 5am-10pm Mon-Tue, Thu, Sat & Sun, to midnight Wed & Fri) is southeast of the Hauptbahnhof. Domestic and international buses arrive and depart around the clock. Eurolines ( 4024 7106; www.eurolines.com) has buses to Prague (one-way/return €59/108; 8½ hours) and Warsaw (€50/82; 13 hours), for example; web specials can bring the price down dramatically. Other destinations include Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Paris.

Polen Reisen ( 241 427;